No More Snow!?

Early this morning, I bundled myself up in a big blanket and headed down to my waterfront swing to read my Bible.

Until as recent as late last week, this swing was covered with six feet of snow but for the last couple of days, it’s been beckoning me to come and rest.

This is a safe place for me. Peace. Beauty. Reflection. Anticipation. Yesterday afternoon, there were persistent but quickly melting chunks of ice knocking the rocks at the water’s edge but this morning, it was spring time as far as the eye could see. (Well, if you really squint, you can see some ice patches out yonder.)

I am bold enough to suggest that we’ve seen the last of the snow but those of us who have experienced this long and winding road of winter can not be sure of what lies ahead . . .

. . . and I’m fine with that. If it snows again, it’s good. If it doesn’t snow again, that’s good too.

Who wants to know what the future will bring?

I don’t. I’m very content to fully live in this day.

Years ago, someone said to me, “I don’t know what the future holds but I do know Who holds the future.” Granted, it’s a bit of a cheesy saying but it’s ever so true. I know the only One, Who knows what tomorrow will look like and He is my security.

Jesus created me and He knows me well.

I was recently at a get-together and the hostess asked the question, “If someone could tell you the exact day you’re going to die, would you want to know?”

I didn’t have to reflect on the answer at all — I knew immediately — but I held back to watch the response.

I was amazed at how many people chose, “YES” to that question and two main reasons were given:

“I could plan for it. “

“I would live my life differently.”

Interesting, isn’t it?

Me? — Would I want to know my day of death? No way. My days on this earth are known by the One Who gives me purpose, leads me to pursue healthy relationships, inspires me to be everything I am meant to be, models forgiveness and commands me to love — day in, day out. I don’t have it “all together” — life will never be perfect on this earth — but besides making some very directed financial decisions to care for my family, there wouldn’t be many changes to my daily life. Nothing drastic.

I would sleep less so I could be with loved ones longer. I would be more intentional about planning my funeral. But I would stay right here in my little house on the water, continue writing, (maybe write a bit quicker) and make sure I spent lots of time on my homemade swing on the waterfront.

If we’re living with the end in mind, we will love generously, praise loudly and live fully. That’s what I want to do.

Mark Twain once said, “A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”

What about you? Would you want to know the exact date that you’re going to die? Would you live differently?

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90.12 NIV

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27.1 NIV

Responses

Many years ago before I committed my life to Christ I was persuaded to go to a fortune teller. She swished tea leaves around a cup and looked at my palms. She told me I would become rich, live a long and prosperous life and have another child which would be a boy.
Here’s what she had wrong: within 2 weeks of that little meeting my husband would be killed in a car accident and my life turned upside down and inside out. My three year old daughter was left fatherless and the stigma of my husband being with another woman (who survived the crash) was awful. I had no where to turn, my friends were not my friends anymore. I was a single mom and a threat to all my married girlfriends. People believed I must have done something wrong to make my husband turn to another woman. That fortune teller didn’t see anything in those leaves or on my palms and she charged me $100.00 for that session. It was all a lie.

Soon after that I committed my life to Christ and now I trust the one and only God who leads me by the hand daily, loves me, watches over me, takes away my fears and gives me assurance of forgiveness, salvation and hope.

My goodness, what else could I possibly need other than the Lord God Almighty?

So what happened? I married the man of my dreams, had 2 more little girls, live a humble life and have beautiful family and friends who make life a blast!!!
Zephaniah 3:17